Deaths Door
by LizzieBerry
Summary: A night at the theatre takes a dramatic turn for Jessica and Seth.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

A certain chill filled the night air in the little town of Cabot cove, the sky that was only lit by the stars above seemed to produce an unsettling atmosphere. Two figures linked arm in arm, slowly strolled into the brightness of the street lights and continued to saunter down the road.

"That was such a beautiful adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, I think Eve played the part very well Seth" exclaimed Jessica.

"A'yep, say Jess did you notice that odd looking fellow sitting in the back stalls?" Replied Seth.

Jessica glanced at the doctor, as if to question his seriousness of what he had just asked. Seth, noticing Jessica's expression, took it upon himself to question whether or not the figure was just simply a work of his imagination.

"Oh dear must just be my eyes, there not as good as they used to be you know" he exclaimed. With that they both continued on down the road, towards Jessica's house discussing their favourite sections of the play. Unbeknownst to both of them, the very same figure that Seth thought was just a character in his imagination, was in hot pursuit, ensuring to be concealed within the shadows of the night. However as the night grew old, the figure seemed to disappear amongst the darkness.

By this time Seth and Jessica had just reached her front gate, which was only lit by a simple street light.

"Well Seth that was such a lovely evening, I enjoyed it very much" said Jessica

"I enjoyed it too" he paused.

"Well I best be leavin' you to get some shut eye, you'll want a bright and early start in the morning" answered Seth. Just as he leaned in to kiss Jessica on the cheek, he suddenly froze to the sound of rustling in the bushes.

"Jess, did you hear that?" he whispered.

Jessica slowly panned around to where the rustling noise had come from to see a shadow lurking in the bushes. Unnerved and startled she called out to the dark figure.

"Who's there?" she cried. Her voice starting to crumble in fear, as the figure walked into the dull light of the street lamp. Both Seth and Jessica stood fixated on the figure that had revealed itself. There in front of them both stood a man, around 5 foot 8, his face concealed by a black balaclava, dressed in full black clothes. Jessica stepped forward.

"What do you want from us?" she asked.

"I want what's rightfully mine" the man replied.

"Now see hear young fellow, we don't have anything that belongs to you" Seth interjected. By which time he had tried to pull Jessica towards her garden path, trying to distance her from the danger.

"Oh I think you do" he answered. With that the man pulled his right hand out of his pocket to reveal a small pocket pistol, which he directed towards Jessica.

"Jessica, Look out!" cried Seth.

BANG!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The gunshots raw sound echoed through the little town of Cabot Cove, ricochetting off its open land, aswell as in and around its small houses. Shortly followed by the gunshot, a piercing scream rang out.

"Oh My god!" Cried Jessica.

Suddenly she found herself falling fast towards the pavement, trying desperately to support the very weak and frail body of Seth. As they both reached the ground, a pool of crimson started to form on the cold, solid concrete beneath Seth's body. Jessica gazed down at the blood in a trance-like state. Her eyes then trailed to where the assailant had stood, only to see nothing but the distant outline of a small object fading into the darkness. Shocked at what she had witnessed, Jessica sat, almost paralysed trying to bring herself to believe what had actually just happened.

"Jess... are you... alright?" He whispered. By this time, his breathing had become shallow, and the colour had drained from his face. Jessica looked down to see a very vulnerable Seth looking up at her.

"Me?... Wh-what about you?" She cried. The tears began to trickle down her cheeks. A sudden fear of losing a dear friend and so much more flashed across her mind, What would she do without him? From that feeling sprouted a cry in anguish "Somebody help me, anybody! Please! Help Me!"

She kept calling and calling in the hope of some sign of help to appear from the darkness, but every minute seemed like every hour.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 **

Seth had began to drift in and out of consciousness, his eyes now just barely open. His body growing colder with every second, and his face seemed to be as pale as ever. Suddenly he closed his eyes, only to hear a small voice enter his head.

"Dont you dare fall asleep on me Seth Hazlitt!" Jessica wept. Her voice crumbling in despair, as every second she knew he was slipping away, it tugged a little more on her heart.

Seth's eyes flickered open, in response to the sound of Jessica's voice, he then nodded to acknowledge what she had just said. Not being able to hold on for much longer, his eyes then slowly closed again, only to hear the distant but fading voice of Jessica calling to try and keep him awake;

"You can't leave me. We still have to finish that chess game, that you had to run out on – remember?" She seemed to grip Seth tighter as if trying to pull him back into consciousness. Her tears falling faster and harder now.

This time his eyes didn't open, his body seemed to become almost lifeless...

"Please Seth, I can't do this without you!" she cried.

"You see... I … I …. Love you!" she stuttered. Not believing the words that had just came out of her mouth she awoke to the realisation that she really couldn't live without him. It was almost destroying her inside to think that it had taken all this time for the truth to come out, and she might not even get to the chance to see him ever again.

Fear engulfed Jessica, until she could conceal it no more. She began once again to call out into the darkness, this time her voice almost screaming "SOMEBODY HELP ME, PLEASE ANYBODY!"

Suddenly she paused mid sentence to hear the sound of footsteps, they seemed to become faster as they were getting closer, as if someone was running in her direction. She gripped Seth tighter as if to try and protect him from whatever was coming towards them. Before she knew it, the small outline that she had seen, had transformed into the shape a man. By which time she could only just make out his face from the dull light emitted from the street lamp above.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

There in front of Jessica stood a very out of breath Mort, the sweat dripping from his brow. His face displayed a pained expression, as his eyes drifted down to see the mortally wounded body of Seth.

By this time Jessica appeared to be in a state of shock, she was rocking back and forth cradling his body. Her cheek pressed firmly against his, the tears streaming from her reddened eyes.

"What... What Happened" gasped a very out of breath Mort.

Jessica withdrew from Seth's cheek, but still remained clutching him tightly.

"There...was...a...man. He just... he just pulled out a pistol...and..." she broke down into a flood of tears. Relief seemed to take over her for just a second, but it was then overwhelmed by a solid fear that it was already too late.

Seeing the panic and fear in her eyes, Mort knelt down to Jessica's side:

"Jessica, I need you to listen to me this is very important"

She didn't seem to respond as if she was in a trance like state. Her eyes seemed transfixed onto Seth. Mort knew he needed to get an answer, he reached his hand out to touch her cheek and guided her eyes to meet his. This was the first time that he had ever seen her so traumatised and helpless and it suddenly became apparent that the secret she had kept so close to her heart was finally bringing itself to the surface.

Mort spoke again to her, this time in a softer tone "Jessica, I need the keys to your house if I can get some help for Seth, you need to listen to me"

Realising what the sheriff had just said, she released her grip on Seth for a moment just long enough for her to reach into her handbag and pull out a set of keys, which she placed into Mort's hand. With that he sprinted towards Jessica's front door to call for help.

What seemed like an hour was simply just minutes, before Mort appeared out of Jessica's front door, sprinting towards their direction. Once again he knelt beside them both, this time reaching out for Jessica's hand, placing his own on top of hers. He then leaned in closer, reached out his other hand and turned her face towards his own.

He then uttered five words "Everything's going to be ok"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The sound of the ambulance's sirens screamed through Cabot Cove braking the silence that once was. It resonated throughout the entire town, not leaving a single sleeping house hold in its wake. Suddenly one by one house lights flooded the once darkened streets, not a single patch of shadow could be seen.

"They will soon be here now my friend" Mort whispered to Seth, with no reply.

As the ambulance reached its destination, it practically boarded the curb, until it came to a sudden screeching halt. Its heavy back doors slammed tight against the side of the vehicle, as the paramedics rushed onto the scene.

What happened next just seemed to be a blur to Jessica, it was as if she was completely numb from the inside out. The world had suddenly become a collective mass, and she could no longer define the lines between real life and her imagination, like it had a twisted sense of humour.

By this time the paramedics had began work on Seth's lifeless body, it convulsed with every shock from the paddles of the defibrillator, which seemed to pulsate through Jessica as if it was her own heart being jump started.

Suddenly a paramedic cried out; "We've got a pulse"

With that her colleague applied an oxygen mask to Seth's cold pale face, and brought over the guerney in a bid to get him into the ambulance.

"Sir, can you give us a hand please?" she said, directing her stare towards Mort.

After loading Seth into the ambulance, Mort turned his attention back towards Jessica, who was still knelt on the cold concrete paving slabs. Her hands stained with blood from the crimson pool that was beside her. Taking one look at the tears still streaming down her face, he could see nothing but pain in the redness of her eyes. Grabbing her hands he pulled her to her feet.

"Jessica, we need to go …." he said.

She nodded her head to acknowledge the urgency of what he had said, with which she followed him into the back of the ambulance. The sirens began to start up once more, echoing down the street, and this time it had a full audience in the neighbourhood.

As the ambulance finally pulled up into its hospital bay its doors flung open, slamming once more into its sides as the hospital staff flooded towards the vehicle.

"What have we got?" said one of the doctors.

"White male, mid to late 60's suffering a gunshot wound to the abdomen. He's lost a lot of blood, his pulse is weak and threading, and he has high blood pressure" replied the paramedic in the back of the vehicle.

"Right, lets work quickly here. He cant afford to lose any more blood." called out the doctor to his medical team.

Hearing the words from their superior, the whole team moved swiftly into action. Soon the gurney had disappeared from the car park and had been whisked towards the operating theatre. As Jessica and Mort clambered out onto the car park, an eerie silence settled upon them.

"Now all we have to do is wait" Mort whispered.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 **

As each and every fraction of the clocks second hand moved, to the eye its motion just seemed to hover between the seconds. The four square walls appeared to close in on its inhabitants, creating an even more anxious and unnerving atmosphere.

Knowing that there was so much at risk, a restless Jessica just continued to pace up and down the carpet. Her mind constantly fixated on Seth's fate, she couldn't bare to think of the possibility that she could lose him too. Looking up at her, Mort could see the cogs beginning to turn. He was perched on the edge of his seat, much like Jessica, he too was pondering the outcome of the events that had passed.

"They should have told us by now" Jessica said abruptly.

"I know, I know, we just have to be patient" replied Mort.

She continued to pace, now even a little faster than before. Mort still perched on the edge of his seat, staring at the off-white walls of the waiting room. It was as if he was somehow searching for some form of distraction from reality.

Another hour had passed...

Suddenly Jessica stopped in her tracks, as if she was paralysed on the spot. She could only just make out the faint sound of footsteps, which gradually increased in volume as their owner grew closer and closer towards the waiting room. By this time, Mort had heard the same, with which he was now stood.

"This is it" thought Jessica, her heart now racing at a quickened pace.

Appearing in the doorway, a middle aged man in a long white coat entered the room.

"Seth?" Jessica enquired anxiously, almost afraid of what he was about to tell her.

"Unfortunately due to severity of his blood loss and the injuries that he sustained, Seth suffered an acute myocardial infarction in the operating theatre" explained the doctor.

"A heart attack" exclaimed Jessica, the news almost too overwhelming to absorb.

"Yes.." He said in a melancholy tone.

"Doc, there's something else you haven't told us. Isn't there?" enquired Mort.

"Well.. due to the severity of his condition, we have had to put him into a medically induced coma. I cant deny to you the possibility that he might not pull through, but there is always hope. Unfortunately we just have to wait and see what happens" he replied.

The tears filled Jessica's eyes once more, eventually spilling out and trickling down her cheeks. Mort noticing the distress in her face, outstretched his arm and placed his hand on her shoulder, trying to provide some form of comfort.

"I don't think I can bare to live without him Mort, what am I going to do" she cried. Her tears just seemed endless, the anguish and sorrow pouring out into the open. Her usually reserved exterior replaced by a woman that had completely lost self control of her emotions.

"There's still hope" he said.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Slumped in the hard plastic chair at Seth's beside, her hand supporting her head, Jessica drifted in and out of a restless sleep. Flashbacks flooded her mind like an infection inflicting heartache in its wake, all she could see was Seth's fragile frame laid in front of her.

"Seth, don't leave me!" she cried repeatedly.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder, gently shaking her entire body.

"Jessica, Jessica" called out a distant voice. Eventually growing to a louder volume, it sounded masculine to her ears.

"Seth?" she thought. The voice seemed a little younger than that of Seth, and grainier too. Jessica could now see the blurring outline of shapes, they began to infuse with colour and the world around her suddenly became much clearer. She rose her head up to see the face of Mort standing just to the right of her, he hadn't left the hospital either. His clothes still a little bloodied from the night before, holding a coffee in his right hand.

"Here you go Mrs F, a fresh cup of coffee." said Mort.

"Thank you" she replied. It must have been her fourth coffee she had consumed, judging by the amount of mugs piled on the bedside table. Her eyes a little bloodshot from the lack of sleep and amount of caffeine that she had drank.

"You should go home and get rest. I'll stay with him" he said in a kind manner.

"I'm fine honestly" she replied, when clearly she wasn't due to the state of her. Her clothes still bloodied, and the tears stains on her cheeks still remained like snail trails on a garden path.

"You've been here all night now Jessica, you should go home and get some rest" he said softly.

"Honestly I'm fine!" she snapped.

"Look Mort I'm sorry. Maybe you're right, but I cant leave him not now" she replied in a less hostile tone.

"It will be fine Jessica, if anything changes I will call you. Now go home, freshen up and get some rest" he said in calm tone.

"Thanks Mort" she replied.

"I'll need to take a statement at some point, but for now that can wait. I'll have Andy drive you home" he spoke softly. He then retreated from the room, made a quick phone call using the hospitals public phone, and then returned, by which time Jessica had gathered up her jacket.

"Andy, should be here any second for you Mrs Fletcher. He will meet you out front" said Mort.

"Thanks Sheriff, just let me know if there's any change wont you?" she asked.

"I will" he replied.

She then turned towards the door, exited the room and made her way to the front of the hospital. Standing outside of the hospital doors, suddenly Jessica had another flashback. She could now see the concealed figure in front of her just as she had seen before, then the all too familiar figure of Seth positioned himself between her and the vigilante once more.

"Jessica look out!" cried Seth.

BANG!

Jessica shuddered with the force of the deputy's car door slam, which snapped her sharply out of her trance-like state.

"Mrs Fletcher, I'm here to give you a lift home" said Andy. With which, he opened one of the car doors and indicated for her to get into the vehicle. Pulling her bag up to waist height Jessica sat back into the passengers seat in the deputy's car. Andy then shut the door tight behind her and returned to the drivers seat, starting the ignition he eventually made his way towards Jessica's house.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Stepping out onto the solid concrete pavement where she had stood, what seemed like a lifetime ago, Jessica froze on the spot, for she had not prepared herself for what would happened when she eventually reached her home. It just seemed too surreal for her to absorb. The bright florescent police tape surrounded the front of her house, in a bid to restrict curious onlookers from the dull red stains on the pavement.

"Mrs Fletcher" said Andy. By this time he had got out of the car and approached her cautiously.

Almost paralysed where she stood, Jessica was all but numb from the distressing flashbacks racing through her head.

"Mrs Fletcher" said Andy once more. This time his volume had increased in an attempt to try and break her away from the cruel images that had engulfed her thoughts.

Snapping out of her hypnotic state, she then turned towards the deputy.

"We did it early this morning ma'am" said Andy, referring to the police tape.

"The sheriff gave us a call around 12:45am to let us know what had happened" he said in a calm manner, taking off his hat at the same time to show some respect for his fallen friend. Sensing that Jessica needed some time to herself, Andy returned his hat to his head, opened the car door and buckled himself in shutting the door behind him.

"Mrs Fletcher, if you need anything then you call me, ok?" he asked.

"I will, and thank you Andy" Jessica replied. Andy then drove off down the road, leaving Jessica to herself.

The street was unusually quiet as Jessica stepped around the taped off area and made her way towards her front door up the garden path. Glancing around the neighbouring houses, she could see the occasional net curtains flutter from the curious eyes surveying her return home. She then reached for her house keys, unlocked the door and then concealed herself inside.

Stepping over the threshold, Jessica felt something underneath her feet, panning down to the floor she noticed a rectangular piece of white paper. It was an envelope addressed to one Mrs J.B Fletcher. Scanning it, something seemed familiar about the handwriting on the front, as if she had seen it somewhere before, but with no return address, she could not identify the sender. So taking the letter in her hands, she headed upstairs.

Reaching the four poster bed that held residency in her bedroom, she sat back onto it and placed down her belongings. She then began to scrape her hair off her face with her hands, becoming angrier with every second until she could conceal it no more. A flourish of tears began to fall from her face, the distress and anguish that she had been feeling all surfaced once again. Surrendering to her heavy heart, her angry expression melted away into a saddened frown, and her head fell into her hands. She then laid back onto the bed, pulled her legs up to chest and with the tears still falling, she cried herself to sleep.

Even in her dreams, Jessica could not escape the world around her, all she was able to think about was Seth's condition. Her heart all but breaking from the thought of losing another man that she loves, the flashbacks inflicted so much grief and sorrow that it appeared that she could no longer try and escape through her dreams. Not being able to lay there any more, Jessica pulled herself up using the oak bed posts, picked up a towel from her airing cupboard and made her way towards the bathroom, in a bid to wash away at least some of the memory of last night.

Once in the shower, she allowed the warm water to wash over her entire body, glancing down towards the plug hole she could see the reddened water draining away. It took more than once for her to scrub away the blood stains on her hands, after which she then washed the rest of herself. Then when she could no longer bare to stare at the bloodied pools beneath her feet, she turned off the shower, dried herself down and changed into a stone coloured pair of pants, with a white collared blouse and a brown jumper. Perching herself back onto her bed, she opened her bedside drawer, pulled out a brush and began to comb through her mousy blonde hair. Scanning around the room as she did so Jessica noticed the letter that she had neglected was still lying on the bed next to her. Putting down the brush she picked up the letter, and opened it to see something that sent shivers down her spine.

There on the white paper held a message, it read;

_It's too late to undo what has been done, I am coming for you and this time I wont miss... _


End file.
